"value of the stone. Some treatments are used widely because the resulting gem is stable, while others are not accepted most commonly because the gem color is unstable and may revert to the original tone. Heat can improve gemstone color or clarity. The heating process has been well known to gem miners and cutters for centuries, and in many stone types heating is a common practice. Most citrine is made by heating amethyst, and partial heating with a strong gradient results in “ametrine” – a stone partly amethyst and partly citrine. Aquamarine is often heated to remove yellow tones, or"
"Philosopher's stone The philosopher's stone, or stone of the philosophers () is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek χρυσός ""khrusos"", ""gold"", and ποιεῖν ""poiēin"", ""to make"") or silver. It is also called the elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was the most sought goal in alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as the Magnum Opus"
"and video games. Philosopher's stone The philosopher's stone, or stone of the philosophers () is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek χρυσός ""khrusos"", ""gold"", and ποιεῖν ""poiēin"", ""to make"") or silver. It is also called the elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was the most sought goal in alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as"
"Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; , )—also known as the Stone of Destiny, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone—is an oblong block of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and later the monarchs of England and those of the United Kingdom. Historically, the artefact was kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. It is also known as Jacob's Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone, and in Scottish Gaelic, ""clach-na-cinneamhain"". Its size is approximately by by and its weight is"
"although there is no archaeological evidence to support it. Camden's identification has been revived by John Michell in his book ""The Sacred Centre"" (2009), where he identifies the stone as the London ""terminus"", a stone sacred to Jupiter that stood at the centre of every Roman city, and which parallels the golden milestone in the Forum in Rome. He believes it was at the intersection of the major axes of the Roman city, the north south ""Cardo Maximus"" and the east west ""Decumanus"". Alternatively, writers in the 18th century speculated that the Stone was prehistoric and had been an object"
"room, then tortured Hermione for information about the sword. But at Harry's request, Griphook lied and said that the sword was a forgery. Bellatrix's reaction to having her vault possibly broken into convinced Harry that the Horcrux was also placed in her vault. Based upon the ancient alchemical idea of the Philosopher's stone, the stone is owned by Nicolas Flamel and first mentioned in ""Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"". The stone is legendary in that it changes all metals to gold, and can be used to brew a potion called the Elixir of Life, making the drinker immortal. The"
"translates it as ""emerald"", and the Vulgate translates it as ""jaspis"" – meaning jasper. There is a wide range of views among traditional sources about which tribe the stone refers to. In a Christian New Testament parable (""Matthew"" 13:45–46), Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a ""pearl of great price"". ""Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly (fine) pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."" The twelve gates of the New Jerusalem are reportedly each made of a single"
"bright orange and bright yellow. This necklace will remain one of the biggest orders in the history of the House of Cartier. According to legend, these two stones Hope Diamond and Tereshchenko Diamond with the same deep blue radiance, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, were stolen from the eyes of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita, the wife of Rama, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu, and were then shipped to Europe. This legend is used to explain the tragic events in the life of Mikhail Tereshchenko, the Tereshchenko family and Russia after Mikhail became the owner"
"they saw the God of Israel, and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone.."" (KJV). The term used in the Latin Vulgate Bible in this citation is ""lapidus sapphiri,"" the term for lapis lazuli. Modern translations of the Bible, such as the New Living Translation Second Edition, refer to lapis lazuli in most instances instead of sapphire. Lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (), or lapis for short, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th"
"is derived from the shepherd's staff via the crozier of a bishop. Two gold sceptres made in 1661 are part of the coronation regalia. The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross is a token of his or her temporal power as head of state. The whole object is long, weighs around , and is decorated with 333 diamonds, 31 rubies, 15 emeralds, 7 sapphires, 6 spinels and 1 composite amethyst. In 1910, it was redesigned to incorporate Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa, which, at over , is still the largest clear cut diamond in the world. It"
"the Florida State Gemstone; it was designated as such in 1970 to commemorate the Moon landings, which took off from Kennedy Space Center. Despite it being the Florida State Gemstone, it does not naturally occur in the state. Moonstone (gemstone) Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate ((Na,K)AlSiO) of the feldspar group that displays a pearly and opalescent schiller. An alternative name is ""hecatolite"". Its name is derived from a visual effect, sheen or schiller (play of color), caused by light diffraction within a micro-structure consisting of regular exsolution layers (lamellae) of different alkali feldspars (orthoclase and sodium-rich plagioclase). Moonstone"
"Jones Diamond The “Jones Diamond,” also known as the “Punch Jones Diamond,” ""The Grover Jones Diamond,"" or ""The Horseshoe Diamond,"" was a 34.48 carat (6.896 g) alluvial diamond found in Peterstown, West Virginia by members of the Jones family. It remains the largest alluvial diamond ever discovered in North America. The bluish-white diamond weighed 34.48 carats (6.896 g), measured 5/8 of an inch (15.8 mm) across and possessed 12 diamond-shaped faces. The diamond was discovered by William P. “Punch” Jones and his father, Grover C. Jones, Sr. while pitching horseshoes in April 1928. Believed to be simply a piece of"
"The inscription is kept at Rockefeller Museum. Bishop Samuel's inscription The Bishop Samuel's inscription () is an Ancient Greek limestone tombstone slab inscription which was discovered in 1934, in the monastic cemetery of the Byzantine period, at the YMCA area in Jerusalem. The inscription mentions """"Iberian"" [i.e. Georgian] ""bishop, Samuel"""" and the purchase of a tomb or a monastery in the Tower of David. Because of the incorrect Greek, it is unclear if the Iberians bought a tomb or a monastery. The slab is partly broken and the whole right corner of it is lost. It is dated to the"
"is trimmed with ermine. The frame is made of gold, silver and platinum, and decorated with 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies. Notable stones are St Edward's Sapphire on the top cross, reputedly taken from the ring of Edward the Confessor when he was re-interred at Westminster Abbey in 1163, and the Black Prince's Ruby (a large spinel) on the front cross. In 1909, the 104-carat (21 g) Stuart Sapphire, set in the front of the crown, was moved to the back and replaced by the 317-carat (63 g) Cullinan II. Below the monde hang"
"Bishop Samuel's inscription The Bishop Samuel's inscription () is an Ancient Greek limestone tombstone slab inscription which was discovered in 1934, in the monastic cemetery of the Byzantine period, at the YMCA area in Jerusalem. The inscription mentions """"Iberian"" [i.e. Georgian] ""bishop, Samuel"""" and the purchase of a tomb or a monastery in the Tower of David. Because of the incorrect Greek, it is unclear if the Iberians bought a tomb or a monastery. The slab is partly broken and the whole right corner of it is lost. It is dated to the late 5th or early 6th century AD."
"Granny Kempock Stone The megalithic Kempock Stone, popularly known as Granny Kempock (perhaps because of its resemblance to an old woman), stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street in Gourock, Scotland. The stone, or menhir, is grey mica schist and of indeterminate origin, but it has been suggested that it is an old altar to the pagan god Baal, or a memorial to an ancient battle. Supposedly there is a superstition that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune."
"Blarney Stone The Blarney Stone () is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with ""the gift of the gab"" (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens. The word ""blarney"" has come to mean ""clever, flattering, or coaxing talk"". Irish politician John O'Connor"
"Birthstone A birthstone is a gemstone that represents a person's month of birth. Birthstones are often worn as jewelry or as a pendant. The first century Jewish historian Josephus believed there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate (signifying the tribes of Israel, as described in the Book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Translations and interpretations of the passage in Exodus regarding the breastplate have varied widely, with Josephus himself giving two different lists for the twelve stones. George Frederick Kunz argues that Josephus saw the breastplate"
"is referenced in the Bible as brimstone in English, with this name still used in several nonscientific terms. Sulfur was considered important enough to receive its own alchemical symbol. It was needed to make the best quality of black gunpowder, and the bright yellow powder was hypothesized by alchemists to contain some of the properties of gold, which they sought to synthesize from it. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier helped convince the scientific community that sulfur was a basic element, rather than a compound. Elemental sulfur was once extracted from salt domes where it sometimes occurs in nearly pure form, but"
"of approximately 90%, a silver content of 8%, and a copper content of 2%. The gemstone was identified as a sapphire using Raman spectroscopy. In January 2013 experts from UK universities gathered in York at a conference organised by the University and the Yorkshire Museum to discuss the nature and significance of the ring. The ring was subsequently argued to date from the 5th or 6th century – not the 10th or 11th as originally believed and its origin was attributed to Europe, possibly France, and that it would have belonged to a king, leader or royal consort – not"
"Astor family possessed it for 72 years until the 4th Viscount Astor sold it to the Louvre for $1 million in 1978. The Sancy now rests in the Apollo Gallery, sharing attention with the likes of the Regent and the Hortensia. Sancy The Sancy, a pale yellow diamond of , was once reputed to have belonged to the Mughals of antiquity, but is more likely of Indian origin owing to its cut, which is unusual by Western standards. The shield-shaped stone comprises two back-to-back crowns (the typical upper half of a stone) but lacks any semblance to a pavilion (the"
"Moonstone (gemstone) Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate ((Na,K)AlSiO) of the feldspar group that displays a pearly and opalescent schiller. An alternative name is ""hecatolite"". Its name is derived from a visual effect, sheen or schiller (play of color), caused by light diffraction within a micro-structure consisting of regular exsolution layers (lamellae) of different alkali feldspars (orthoclase and sodium-rich plagioclase). Moonstone has been used in jewelry for millennia, including ancient civilizations. The Romans admired moonstone, as they believed it was born from solidified rays of the Moon. Both the Romans and Greeks associated moonstone with their lunar deities. In"
"out to join the Biblical Magi in their journey to see the newborn Jesus. He purchased three great gems, one of which was a sapphire, to present as a gift to the newborn king. He never achieved his goal, and gave his gems to the needy instead. Star of Artaban The Star of Artaban is a 287–carat cabochon-cut star sapphire currently located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Its origin is somewhat obscure but it is believed to come from Sri Lanka. Unlike some other sapphires, it is not transparent and is of a milky blue colour. It"
"Stone of Tizoc The Stone of Tizoc, Tizoc Stone or Sacrificial Stone is a large, round, carved Aztec stone. It is thought to have been a ""cuauhxicalli"" or possibly a ""temalacatl"". Richard Townsend maintains, however, that the stone was hollowed in the 16th century for unknown purposes. The stone was rediscovered on 17 December 1791 when construction was being done in downtown Mexico City. The workmen had been breaking up monuments that were found and using them as cobblestone. A churchman named Gamboa happened to be passing by and saved the stone from the same result. The stone was then"
"depicted along the sides of the stone. Motecuhzoma I's rule and military expeditions also coincided with a rise in ritual human sacrifice, reflected in the sacrificial well on the top of the monolith. The Stone of Motecuhzoma I was discovered in July 1988 under the colonial Archbishop's palace, or Palacio del Arzobispado, on Moneda Street in modern-day Mexico City. For this reason, the stone is sometimes referred to as the Archbishop's Stone. Built shortly after the Spanish destroyed the center of Tenochtitlan, the palace rested on many valuable pre-Colombian artifacts. The Palacio del Arzobispado was built in 1530 under the"
"Newton Stone The Newton Stone is a pillar stone, found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The stone contains two inscriptions, one, written in Ogham, but the second script has never been positively identified and many different decipherments or theories have been proposed since the 1860s. The second script may have been added to the stone as recently as the late 18th or beginning of the 19th century. The Newton Stone has been known since 1804 when the Earl of Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon discovered the stone by the opening up of a new road near Pitmachie Farm, Aberdeenshire, after local shepherds told him"
"back to Iran in a battle with Kurds, who broke it up for the value of the metal and stones. The stone eventually reappeared in Turkey, where it had been given the new name 'Shepherd's Stone'. It was then purchased in 1866 in Istanbul by London merchant George Blogg, who commissioned Levi Moses Auerhaan to re-cut it into drop-form. Unfortunately the historic inscriptions were destroyed in the process. The stone, which had originally weighed 120 Arabic carats (about 119 metric carats 23 g), had been reduced to 73.60 metric carats (14.34 g). In the following year, the diamond was purchased"
"Stone has been identified as a ""mark-stone"" on several ley lines passing through central London. It has also entered the psychogeographical writings of Iain Sinclair (born 1943) as an essential element in London's ""sacred geometry"". There are two recent additions to the mythology surrounding London Stone. The first claims that Dr John Dee, astrologer, occultist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, ""was fascinated by the supposed powers of the London Stone and lived close to it for a while"" and may have chipped pieces off it for alchemical experiments; the second that a legend identifies it as the stone from"
"the Royal throne of England at Westminster. Stone of Jacob The Stone of Jacob appears in the Book of Genesis as the stone used as a pillow by the Israelite patriarch Jacob at the place later called Bet-El. As Jacob had a vision in his sleep, he then consecrated the stone to God. More recently, the stone has been claimed by Scottish folklore and British Israelism. According to account given in Genesis (Chapter 28:10-22), Jacob was fleeing from his elder twin brother Esau, whom he had tricked out of receiving their father Isaac's blessing of the first-born. On his flight,"
"and is also the origin of the word ""citron"". Sometimes citrine and amethyst can be found together in the same crystal, which is then referred to as ametrine. Citrine has been referred to as the ""merchant's stone"" or ""money stone"", due to a superstition that it would bring prosperity. Citrine was first appreciated as a golden-yellow gemstone in Greece between 300 and 150 BC, during the Hellenistic Age. The yellow quartz was used prior to that to decorate jewelry and tools but it was not highly sought-after. Milk quartz or milky quartz is the most common variety of crystalline quartz."
"not stick to carnelian. Sard was used for Assyrian cylinder seals, Egyptian and Phoenician scarabs, and early Greek and Etruscan gems. The Hebrew ""odem"" (also translated ""sardius""), the first stone in the High Priest's breastplate, was a red stone, probably sard but perhaps red jasper. In Revelation 4:3, the One seated on the heavenly throne seen in the vision of John the apostle is said to ""look like jasper and 'σαρδίῳ' (sardius transliterated)"". And likewise it is in Revelation 21:20 as one of the precious stones in the foundations of the wall of the heavenly city. Although now the more"
"Heliotrope (mineral) The mineral aggregate heliotrope (from Greek ἥλιος, ""hḗlios"" “Sun”, τρέπειν, ""trépein"" “to turn”), also known as bloodstone, is a variety of jasper or chalcedony (which is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz). The ""classic"" bloodstone is green jasper (chalcedony) with red inclusions of hematite. The red inclusions are supposed to resemble spots of blood, hence the name ""bloodstone"". The name ""heliotrope"" derives from various ancient notions about the manner in which the mineral reflects light. These are described, e.g., by Pliny the Elder (""Nat. Hist."" 37.165). Heliotrope was called ""stone of Babylon"" by Albert the Great and he referred"
"Äskulapstein The Äskulapstein (""Aesculapius stone"") is a Roman votive stone which was found in the sixteenth century at Godesburg. Today it is kept in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn. The stone must have served as a consecrated altar. It was made from Drachenfels trachyte, is 110 cm high, 65 cm wide and 39 cm deep and its inscription reads: Thus the stone is dedicated to the healing gods Aesculapius and Hygieia. The donor of the stone, Quintus Venidius Rufus Marius Maximus Lucius Calvinianus had served as legatus in the Legio I Minervia and was at the time of the donation Imperial"